Black is the Color
by prophet-of-troy
Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Marauders, but what of Cassiopeia Black- Sirius' sister who steals Peter's fateful place. With Sia, they're stronger as they choose sides to a waging war and find loves that go against everything they were raised to believe in.
1. At the Beginning

Chapter one: At the Beginning

The day I met the Marauders I was going to Diagon Alley for school supplies. And though I had been there countless times, today it seemed bigger and filled with more wonder and potential than any of my visits in the previous eleven years. Sirius was looking around, walking beside our family properly and respectably, but he had that look. That look that said he was looking for our escape.

He was always saving me.

"Don't goggle, Cassiopeia. It's just Diagon Alley."

There was nothing 'just' about Diagon Alley today, but I didn't bother to point this out to her. It would do no good. I looked straight ahead the way she commanded, only looking around with mild interest the way I had been taught.

"Orion," a civil and fake voice said with an equally questionable smile. Mother and Father turned to find Abraxas Malfoy. "Is it time for Sirius and Cassiopeia's first year already?"

I wanted to drown the conversation out, unconcerned with the pleasantries, but Lord Malfoy's son Lucius was there, giving me a polite bow. "Miss Black, you're growing up well."

I gave a small nod of my head to answer his. "And Mister Malfoy, I hear you take your OWL's this year at Hogwarts. I wish you well on them."

There was some sort of commotion behind them and he turned, as did the adults to see what the racket was. There was nothing pure-bloods loved more than the prospect of a scandal. I felt a hand on my wrist and suddenly my brother was pulling me away from them. This was our escape.

We ran, I pulling my skirts up to my ankles so I could run easier as we kept the same pace- laughing with wild abandon. We turned into an alley, still giggling like mad. "That was brilliant," I told him as I caught my breath. "What did you do? What about Regulus?"

"All I did was throw a rock," he said. "I had meant to knock over a box, not the entire shelf."

I looked at him like he was insane. "Father is going to kill you! You better hope Mother doesn't find that ridiculous slingshot of yours. She'll go spare!"

He just gave me that grin of his that told me what he thought of that. Then he grabbed my arm again. "Come on!"

I felt much more relaxed walking through Diagon Alley with my brother, able to appreciate the difference today made on the well known marketplace. It wasn't everyday you bought your first year school supplies.

We walked around, moving our heads freely to look at the wonder around us with a new appreciation today. Sirius and I went into a candy shoppe and filled his pockets, I had none as they were improper, with chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. We went by Eeylop's Owl Emporium and looked through the glass at the owls all in their cages, thinking to ourselves about which one we wanted. I dragged Sirius into Fortescue's for an ice cream cone as I had never had one. Such things were not proper for a lady and Mother had always insisted I get a cup on the few times we were allowed any at all- which was far less fun to eat. But this time, she wasn't there with her disapproving look and sharp voice calling our names.

"Cassiopeia!" Sirius and I both jumped at Mother calling me. They'd found us! Sirius grabbed my hand once more and we ran, making me drop my half eaten chocolate ice cream in the middle of the walk.

We knew they weren't chasing us, they would never in public, but it didn't stop us from running away as fast as we could with wild glee at the prospect of behaving in such an improper way. Sirius turned down another alley and I turned with him in perfect sync. It seemed to lead to a junction from four different alleys and directions, one we had never before had the chance to explore, when Sirius crashed into someone and I tripped over the huddle they made with a gruff sound of impact.

A boy looked up at us, the one that Sirius had run into, with hazel eyes hidden behind a round set of glasses and wild black hair that stuck up in every which direction. He had a grin plastered on his face that he hadn't lost from the collision and I recognized it, being Sirius' sister and silent partner in crime, as the grin of a fellow troublemaker. He seemed to be sizing us up for something, before his grin grew and he introduced himself.

"I'm James Potter."

There was a shout and a curse from the alley James had been running down and he briefly looked over towards it, getting up quickly. He grabbed both my and Sirius' arms and pulled us with him. "Come on!" He said. "He's coming!"

Sirius didn't have to look over at me to ask the question with one of our shared looks, and I didn't have to look over at him to give him my answer as we followed James in what felt like a wild adventure of running for our lives in which we had no clue who our villain was. We didn't have to know who James was, or know him any longer than our collide and he deciding we were worthy enough to run with him. He glanced back once or twice to be sure we were both still there behind him, each time with another bigger grin that we were.

I looked back behind me at some point as well, seeing the man who was still following us- waving what looked to be some sort of staff and shouting profanities. But the man's stride never faltered as he tried to catch up to us. I turned back to look where I was going, running face first into another boy my age, taller than either me or Sirius, or even James, with gangling limbs, sandy brown hair, and a scarred face.

We both landed on the cobblestone hard, my palms getting skinned in the process and I looked up into crystal blue eyes so much different than the cool blue gray eyes of me or Sirius. He gave a tentative smile at me which I returned as someone helped me up, his mother it seemed.

"Sia! Hurry, he's right behind you!" I looked over to see Sirius and James, who had stopped running as to not leave me behind. The man _was_ right behind me.

I smirked to the boy I had ran into and grabbed him by the hand the way James had me and Sirius and pulled him with me to run. His mother called for him to come back, Remy, she called him. He was startled by the motion of me pulling him, but then he started to run too, keeping up with me perfectly. James and Sirius waited for us to pass and the four of us ran.

I looked behind us to where the man was, and sure enough he was there in all of his huffing and puffing, and watched as a crowd passed behind us as well- separating him from us. Up ahead I could see the alcove of an old store front that had long since gone out of business, no one apparently cared about something called a sock monkey, and pushed Remy into it. Sirius and James crammed into it with us and we waited with baited breath, watching the man who had been chasing us run past not realizing.

He passed and we all started laughing hysterically, panting and flushed and out of breath. James looked at us appreciatively and put his hand out. Then he seemed to think better of it, thinking four people was too many to keep shaking hands and introducing himself over again, and laid his hand flat in the cramped space between us. "James Potter."

I wasn't really sure what we were supposed to do with his hand, but Remy apparently did. He put his hand out on top of James'. "Remus Lupin."

"Sirius Black," my brother said, adding his hand to the pile.

Mine was last, the skinned wound on my palm stinging as I set it on Sirius', but none of us had lost our smiles. "Sia Black."

I looked to each one of them, my eyes landing on Remus. He smiled at me. I smiled back. "Are you three going to Hogwarts?" James asked.

Remus' eyes lit up. "Yes. It's my first year."

"Ours too," Sirius and I said in unison. James and Remus laughed.

"What was that?" Remus asked.

Sirius and I looked over to James. He smirked. "I may have just let a niffler loose in Borgin and Burke's."

I didn't know what a niffler was, and I knew Sirius didn't either, but it sounded mischievous and that was enough for us. And if it had anything to upset that awful man who now owned the dark and frightening shop, he had my total support. "What's a niffler?"

"They're obsessed with shiny things," he told us in an excited whisper. "They're perfect at causing commotion and trouble. I accidentally let one loose in Dad's study once."

"Yes," a deep voice said from behind us, "and I still haven't retrieved all of my things from the bloody beast."

We all turned around slowly to see a man who looked remarkably like James aside from the brown hair that was much lighter than the black of his son's, but not as light as Remus'. His face held an amused expression, a sort of sparkling in his eyes, and his arms were crossed in a very parental way.

"D-dad," James had suddenly become very pale.

Lord Potter leaned forward with a smirked and uncrossed his arms. "Let's not tell your mother about this, yeah?"

James grinned and nodded enthusiastically, turning to the rest of us to introduce us to his father. Sirius and I had heard the name Potter in brief passing, as Lord Potter worked at the Ministry with Father. Though, we weren't really sure what sort of work Father did at the Ministry, but we had had dinner with the Minister of Magic fairly often so he had to be important.

"It is wonderful to meet all of you," Lord Potter said, seemingly genuine. "But I'm afraid James still needs to be fitted for his ro-"

I assume he meant to say robes, but it was cut off by the very familiar shrieking of Mother. Why was it always _my_ name she screeched? "Cassiopeia!"

I flinched, my shoulders drooping in anticipation for the lecture I would be getting. Sirius sent me a pitying look and I looked back at Remus with a smile before giving the smile to James. "That's us then," I sighed.

"Running off like that!" Mother approached us in mid rant with Reggie trailing behind and trying to keep up with her. "I've never been so publicly humiliated! Why, the whole thing makes me sick. You will be attending double piano lessons before you get on that train, and I expect you to go through each piece perfectly."

"Yes, Mother."

Sirius and I left the closeness and comfort of that small alcoved store front to stand in front of her. "Excuse me," the warm voice of Lord Potter interrupted her. "But I do believe it's all my James' fault. You see, he has a bit of a talent for trouble. I'm sure none of them meant any harm. I do apologize."

Mother pursed her lips. "Well. I just hope your son stays away from them. They don't need to be caught up in any more foolish shenanigans than they have already. Good day."

She whirled around and stalked off again. Sirius and I followed with soft sighs, but not before looking back sadly to the friends we had made with an unspoken, hopeful wish of meeting again on the train.

* * *

My fingers trailed over the piano keys and I resisted the urge to move my head along with it, thankful for once, for the books on my head keeping me from doing just that. Passion was improper for a lady. I hit the familiar notes until my thumb, that traitor, hit a C in the stead of a D. I kept going, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"Again, Cassiopeia. From the beginning. Don't slouch! Sit up straight."

My back straightened automatically and I resisted the urge to sigh. I was almost done, but again I started over. The melody filled the room again and I let my gaze drift to the open window and the pale curtains that danced with the breeze blowing through it. I wished we had a garden to stroll through on such a day, like I'd read in one of my books Mother didn't approve of. She didn't like the idea of children doing such things as playing outside.

"Mistress," Kreacher's voice said, I could imagine him bowing lowly to her. "It is time for Mistress' tea with Mistress Druella."

I clenched my eyes tightly, hoping she wouldn't feel the need to bring me along as I listened to her dismiss the house elf.

"You will finish this song," she told me, "once through without error. If you stop without doing so, I will know and leave you for your father to deal with. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Mother."

"Speak up, Cassiopeia," she commanded sharply, "a lady does not mumble under her breath."

"Yes, Mother," I said clearly.

"Better," she said. I heard her shoes click as she walked away to dress for tea with my aunt, no doubt to discuss not only my progress as a lady, but my cousins' as well. Bellatrix was already set to marry her betrothed within the next year or so, the date to which had yet to be set.

I was to marry his brother, a terrifying prospect at the age of eleven.

A moment after she had gone, my calico kitten jumped up to the top of the piano. Mother hadn't approved of her doing this, but she had said that cats were a perfectly acceptable pet for a lady. Owls were not meant to pets, she had said. Especially not to a lady. So, Sirius had gotten the great horned owl. And I had gotten Cordelia. I had been upset, at first, but Delia was too sweet not to love. As long as I kept her away from Mother.

At some point, near the part I messed up on the last time, Sirius came into the room and collapsed onto a sofa with a dissatisfied sigh. Delia looked over and meowed at him, but didn't leave her curled post and I said nothing, concentrating instead on my fingers gliding over the ivory keys and trying not to miss one. He stood up and dropped himself into the seat again with a louder sigh. He wasn't going to stop until I asked what was wrong.

I was tempted to make him suffer, but it would just keep distracting me. "What are you over there moaning about?" I asked without looking up. "Do _you_ have to play through Chopin's entire Nocturne without a mistake?"

"I'm _bored_ ," he whined in a drawn out syllable. "Let's go do something."

"Did you miss the part where I have to finish this or Mother will murder me?"

"What's the worse she would do?"

I didn't answer and neither of us said anything. To be honest, neither of us were sure what the answer _was_. Since getting our Hogwarts letters both Mother and Father had been stricter, working even harder to tell us who they wanted us to be. I with my piano lessons and such, and Sirius with the legacy of our family. We had both paid dearly for the stunt in Diagon Alley, though, Sirius wouldn't tell me what Father did to him. But there was a very strong silencing charm around the room at the time and Sirius was very quiet for a long time afterwards. Mother lectured me, pacing around the spot I stood and randomly sending stinging hexes and such at me.

"Where's Reggie?" I asked in an attempt to change the heavy topic.

Sirius shrugged. "Last I saw, he was in the library looking at that stupid family book Father's been having me memorize. Just two more days, Sia. Two days and we don't have to see them until next summer."

"Yeah," I said as I finished the piece and leaned against the piano with a sigh. "Where we still have to be what they want us to be. Merlin forbid Bella tells Aunt Druella that I talked to a Gryffindor, or a Muggleborn, for that matter. If Narcissa writes Mother and tells her I'm not being properly polite to Rabastan Lestrange."

Sirius grimaced. "Then, at Hogwarts, let's not care. They can only do so much to us when we get home. Over the summer we'll stay out of their way, but let's for once not worry about it at school. Last month was so much fun, with James and Remus? Think of the fun we could have at Hogwarts."

"And Mother will find out we're friends and punish us further."

But what he said had struck a chord somewhere in me. What was the worse that could happen if we just had fun? I didn't want to be a perfect lady the way Narcissa was. I didn't want to be cruel the way Bella was. I wanted to be me, the way Andromeda was. She had refused her betrothal to Craven Avery and decided that she wasn't going to be a perfect wife. Could I do that? The thought of what Mother's reaction would be made me flinch, but I still thought it.

"Let go do something," I repeated Sirius' earlier request. He looked up with a smile and stood, leading me outside to play.

* * *

"A lady doesn't run, Cassiopeia." I couldn't even begin to explain how happy I was to be going away for a year, where she wouldn't be able to say that every day. Ladies don't slouch. Ladies don't run. Ladies don't dawdle. Ladies don't do anything ever that could possibly hold any semblance of fun or life.

Nevertheless, I slowed my feet to match Mother's as we walked up to a brick wall between platforms nine and ten. I wasn't pushing my cart, ladies didn't do such things, Father was. He caught me looking at him and winked at me with something of a smile. He always called me his little dove growing up, and though he left my upbringing to Mother, she was much more lax with me in his presence.

"Sirius," Mother said, "what are you waiting for?"

He looked confused, as did I, I'm sure. What were we supposed to do with a brick wall? "It's just a barrier," Father said in his baritone voice. "Run through it between platforms nine and ten to get to Hogwarts Express."

I was unsure, it looked fairly solid, but Sirius found the idea incredibly intriguing and ran as fast as he could with his trolley- his owl screeching in concern as they disappeared through it. Delia rested in my arms, but squirmed a bit when I held her tighter. It was my turn next.

I wanted to run the way Sirius had, but Mother was watching through narrowed eyes. So I calmly, with my pulse racing and my heart threatening to pound out of my chest, walked through the brick wall with the trickle of a cool breeze being the only thing I felt. It was amazing. I had never seen such an amazing sight, the long red train and the clouds of smoke rising from it. The crowds loud in a chatter and familiars running amok through their legs. I was glad Delia was so mild tempered, choosing instead to stay calm in my arms.

"Isn't it wicked, Sia?"

I nodded to Sirius' question without taking my eyes away from it. Father came next, Reggie following behind with Mother. They lead us aside out of the way to give us final demands for our time away from their influence.

"I expect you to keep up with your studies," Father said, looking at Sirius with something of a glare. "Make the right friends, they'll become good allies for our house later. Make the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black proud."

He didn't say 'or else', but the sentiment was there and I could swear I saw Sirius shiver. Mother gripped my chin tight and jerked my face to look at her. Her face was stern, her lips pursed.

"I expect you to be polite to Rabastan Lestrange. I had better not hear of you ignoring him and being rude. Don't let Sirius drag you into things, I expect you to keep to your studies and act the way we raised you to act. Is that clear?"

She hadn't let go of my face yet, squeezing harder to make her point with an unspoken threat should I not do what she wanted. I wrenched my chin out of her grip, making her lips purse more.

"Of course, Mother."

Sirius looked over at me and we shared a look. The courage we had previously felt that this was our time to do and be what we wanted, had dwindled at the first sight of danger and we were now thinking about the consequences should we go with our plans.

"You'll write, won't you?" Reggie asked with a smile that made me feel better. Little brothers. I grinned back.

"Of course we'll write to you. We'll tell you all about it. I bet we'll even find secret tunnels or something and I promise we'll tell you all about them so you know next year when you come."

He hugged me and then Sirius ruffled his hair, ignoring the glare from Mother as she tried to fix it afterwards. The train behind us let out a shrill whistle. Mother nudged my chin higher, ladies didn't duck their heads, and smoothed my hair down. Father told Sirius to straighten his robes. Then Father helped Sirius put our things on the train. We boarded the train after a final look from our parents and an encouraging smile from Regulus.

Delia was awake, sitting contently in my arms and looking around as we wandered down the corridor looking for a compartment. Then, we heard a familiar, boisterous laugh and grinned as we followed it. And there, James Potter was hanging halfway out of a window. We entered his otherwise empty compartment and I could see some sort of commotion out on the platform that he was watching. I had no doubt he was up to something again.

Someone, a woman with long dark hair looked towards James and he quickly tried to come back so she couldn't see him- bumping his head as he did so. He winced and rubbed his head, looking at us with a broad smile. "Sia! Sirius! I've been looking all over for you two. I haven't found Remus either. Want to sit together?"

"Yeah!" Sirius said. We sat across from him as the train began to move. James glanced out once more and sat back down.

"I may have let a few whizz bangs out and started them. Mum will lecture me for sure, but it kept her distracted enough for me to sneak my niffler on board. Wanna see?"

His face lit up when he asked this and at our enthusiastic nods, he dug in the pocket of his robes for something. And his face dropped. And he looked into his pocket. And he paled. Then he glanced around, looking to a small black form trying to squeeze through the closed compartment door. He lunged and grabbed the thing by its foot. It slumped at being caught and he held the creature up for us to see.

It was a small, plump thing with black fur, a bill, and tiny hands that fell towards the floor with gravity. "Oh my Merlin," I breathed. "It's so cute. That's a niffler?"

"Yeah, begged Mum and Dad for one. She's small, but, she's supposed to keep growing a little more. I call her Gem."

There was a hesitant knock on the glass of the compartment door and Remus was there, with a half-hearted smile and I would swear more scars. He opened the door before we could warn him and Gem wriggled her way out of James' grip to dart out of the door. Delia jumped out of my arms to chase her. In a jumble, we all scrambled out of the door to follow and catch them. Remus followed too and we watched the niffler run down the corridor as someone stepped out of a compartment and in our way. Lucius Malfoy.

"Miss Black," he gave a short bow, following Pure-blood custom. I gave my own, trying not to push past him to give chase. The boys had stopped behind me and Sirius nudged me. I was to deal with Lucius. "We regrettably were interrupted from our last conversation. I hope you've been well?"

"I have, yes. And yourself? I hear your father was promoted by the Minister himself. You must be proud." Sirius nudged me again to hurry it up and I interrupted Lucius before he was able to answer. "I do apologize, but, you see, my cat has run off and I simply must find her."

A tense expression passed over his face at my rudeness, but I tried not to notice as we squeezed past him and continued to run in the direction we had seen Gem and Delia go. We passed through different train cars until we found Delia scratching and meowing at a door. It was locked, but it didn't keep Sirius and James from pulling at it.

"Move," Remus said, pulling his wand out of his robes and pointing it at the door. "Alohomora."

There was a click in the door and Sirius opened, ushering us in. It was the baggage cart. There were owls, piles of trunks, and in the center was Gem- stuffing a shiny necklace into a pouch on her stomach. James immediately grabbed her, shaking her lightly. We watched as jewels and coins fell from the pouch in a fountain of valuables, ending with a clunk.

"Dad's pocket watch!" James picked it up and sent a mock glare at the niffler still in his grasp.

I turned to Remus. "That was awesome! You unlocking the door like that?"

His cheeks pinked and he looked down. "Oh, that. I've just been reading our school books. It was nothing."

"I couldn't have done it," I told him.

"She's right," James said. "I can't do anything with mine except make sparks come out of it."

There was a noise at the door and someone was opening it. Remus nudged me that we needed to hide and I grabbed Delia, following him, Sirius, and James behind a particularly tall pile of trunks that I desperately hoped wouldn't fall on us. It was cramped and reminded me of that alcove on our first meeting. I didn't seem to be the only one, as we were all looking at each other with smiles.

"I thought I heard something," a voice said, male.

"Probably just one of the owls or something," a woman said.

"But the door was unlocked," the man argued.

"Lionel probably forgot to lock it again. He's always doing that."

The man grumbled, but his voice trailed off as they left the compartment. We all breathed sighs of relief. "Let's get out of here," James said.

I nodded my agreement, but the door was locked. Remus tried his unlocking spell again, but nothing happened. They must have used a stronger charm or something, but now we were locked in. I put Delia back down and groaned.

"We're going to be in so much trouble," I told Sirius. "Mother is going to kill me."

"No, she'll blame me for leading you astray." She would, but then I would still be punished for letting him.

"Wait," James said. "We just have to wait until we get there and then we can sneak out. They'll have to unlock it for people to get their stuff."

So we sat in the middle of the floor, Gem having been put in James' pocket where she couldn't get away. Remus found his trunk and passed around chocolate frogs for us. I had never seen so much chocolate in one place until he opened his trunk and we saw the giant pile of it, some brands I didn't recognize.

"What House are you all going into?" James asked, biting the head off of his chocolate frog. "My family's been in Gryffindor forever."

It hadn't been a question that we would be in Slytherin. Every Black went into Slytherin. But Sirius said, "Gryffindor."

My head snapped up at this. "Siri, what are you talking about? A Black has never been in Gryffindor before."

He grinned at me. "Then I guess we'll have to be the first, eh?"

"I don't know what House I'll be in," Remus said. "My dad didn't go to Hogwarts and my mother's a Muggle."

"We're both expected to be in Slytherin," I said. "I don't even want to think about what Mother or Father would say if we weren't." Much less what they would say if they knew we were friends with a half-blood, but at least he wasn't Muggleborn.

"Wouldn't they be proud wherever?" Remus asked with a frown.

James seemed to understand though. After our adventure in Diagon Alley, we had learned more about the Potter family. They believed in equality between Muggleborns and Pure-bloods, the idea that everyone was worthy to learn magic if they were born with it no matter what family they were born into. Father had been furious to hear that, after he had been called back to the Ministry for an emergency, that we were found with the Potter heir.

"No," he told Remus. "Black is one of the oldest pure-blood families there is. If they made it into a house like Gryffindor, with how much Slytherin and Gryffindor hate each other, the only reason they might not be disowned is because they're the eldest."

"Oh." Remus looked disappointed. Then, "You have a bruise, Sia."

He pointed to where Mother had grabbed my chin and I shrugged. "It's nothing."

There was silence. Then Sirius broke it. "I don't care," he said. "I'd rather be in Hufflepuff than in Slytherin. So, I'll try to be in Gryffindor. Narcissa wouldn't tell us how we're Sorted, but I'm sure I can trick some test into telling me to go in Gryffindor."

"I couldn't," I said quietly. "I don't want to go into Slytherin either, but I don't know how we would be put anywhere else. That's a long line of ancestry to break away from."

"You two can do it," James said. "We'll stay friends no matter what."

"Friends?" Remus asked, looking at the three of us hopefully.

I smiled, looking at them. "Friends."

Sirius shrugged. "I mean, who else is going to cause the amount of trouble we can? And we do it on accident! Imagine what we could do if we tried!"

And it was the start of something beautiful.

 **A/N: Sooo, I have a few chapters of this written ahead and I really like the idea of Sirius having a sister. I just love the Marauders. There will be changes from canon, obviously. Some of these will be the absence of Peter in the Marauders. He is still a character and will be in my story, but will not have the part J.K. Rowling gave him. Also, they will be less the bullies than they are in canon. They'll still be jerks at first, but they grow up faster in this that canon. How do you guys feel about a Sirius and Severus romance? I really like it, as well as a Remus and Sia love. I am not going to spend too much time on they're early years after first year. Any ideas, let me know. I am always open to ideas and constructive critism, but any ship hate or hate in general will be ignored and likely laughed at. Dasvidanya, Mia.**


	2. Enemies and War

Chapter two: Enemies and War

We spent the entire train ride in the baggage car, eating Remus' chocolate and talking about anything that came to mind. We learned about Remus' obsession with chocolate, as if it hadn't already been obvious, and James' love of Quidditch. As soon as the Chudley Cannons were mentioned, the rest of the conversation was lost until Remus and I pulled them out of it, their argument of whether the current Seeker was better than the previous. Remus and I talked about our love of reading and I hesitantly admitted my fondness for Muggle literature. He had a few himself, that I hadn't read, in his trunk and offered to let me borrow them.

We each discussed prank ideas, despite the fact that we wouldn't truly be able to plan until later when we knew more about the school and such. James told us about his father's Invisibility Cloak that had been passed down to him, pulling it out of his trunk and showing us. That spurred more ideas of pranking. Remus had the idea of dropping something called flour on a classroom. Sirius said that we should, under the impression we wouldn't be put there, let Gem loose in the Slytherin common room. That got a laugh.

By the time night had fallen, we were hungry and ready to get there. I got dressed in my robes behind a pile of trunks, while the others did the same behind a different pile, and we waited as the train began to slow down. We put away our trunks that we had been in and waited by the door, Delia in my arms and James throwing the Cloak over the four of us. Then, a disembodied voice told students to leave their belongings in the train to be brought in later, and panic began to seep in.

"What are we going to do?" I asked in a somewhat hysterical whisper.

Sirius' hand found mine and said, "It will be okay, we won't get caught."

"How do you know that?" Remus asked from behind me.

James, who was in the front of Sirius, whispered. "Because this isn't the end yet, now shh. Someone's coming."

The door opened without anyone there, and trunks began filing out with some sort of spell. I was tempted for us to stay there and watch, and I could tell the others were too, but James said, "Alright, let's hurry."

We followed him off of the train, our feet somehow in perfect sync that we didn't trip over each other. All we saw was the train platform, and no students. There was a trail of lanterns to the right and we followed it at a run, James shoving the Invisibility Cloak into his robes where a corner stuck out, when we came around the corner of a patch of wood to a horseless carriage.

"Wait," I said. "Narcissa said she went in a boat."

"Maybe they switch it up," James looked to the carriage with his legs jittery, wanting to hurry.

"No, all first years go in a boat," Remus said. "I read that."

Sirius looked around anxiously. "Well, let's just worry about getting to the castle. Then we can find the other first years."

He climbed in with James and helped me and Remus up. As soon as we were seated, the carriage began to move. I would swear to hearing something trot as we went along. But, we had gotten off of the train without anyone finding out that we were somewhere we shouldn't have been, and that made us each swell with mischievous pride; each of our faces seeming to say, look what _we_ did. We couldn't help but laugh at how nervous we had been.

"There it is!" Sirius said. He pointed to a tall castle, with towers and lights reaching to the sky that it was hard to tell the difference between that and the stars. I looked up and thought to myself that I had never seen anything so beautiful. Remus looked like he might cry, but I understood that boys were weird about that and tried not to stare.

"I'm here," he whispered to himself. "I'm actually at Hogwarts."

James clapped Sirius on the back and looked back at me and Remus with a grin. I looked around in hopes of finding where the other first years could be. I saw the lake, but no boats or disturbances in the water. "Look."

When the carriage stopped, we climbed out and went inside the castle, deciding it was better to find them inside than wander around aimlessly and lose them all together. There were other students there, obviously older than we were, all going towards a set of double doors. We peeked inside, avoiding those we could, but there didn't seem to be any first years waiting to be Sorted.

"What if they're going to come through that door," Remus asked in a whisper, pointing to a door on the opposite wall close to the High Table.

"Come on," Sirius said. We walked around, looking for the other side of the Great Hall. That's what Cissa had called it. We walked fast, looking around each corner before passing it. Then, we heard a voice say, "Follow me."

I ran behind them, turning a corner to find a group of first years filing through a door behind a woman in velvet, emerald green robes. James filed in line first, Sirius behind him, and Remus and I behind them. The four of us glanced to each other with smug expressions at our adventure as we entered the Great Hall. We hadn't been able to fully appreciate the view from a quick peek, the room being grander than anything I had ever seen. I made up my mind right there, walking with my brother and our new friends, that I wanted to live here far longer than just the seven years we would call this home.

The line stopped and so did we, the woman in front pulling out an old wooden stool and setting an equally worn hat on it. I snickered at the thought of Mother stepping off of her high horse to deign allow them to put it on her.

"When I call your name," the woman said in a heavy Scottish accent, "you will step up to the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. Once you are Sorted you will join your House table."

James looked back at the rest of us, with the grin that I was starting to think was just stuck on his face, as if to reinforce our conversation on the train. And again, like with Mother and Father's unspoken threats, I lost my nerve. I mean, train conversations were just train conversations. Right? It was just the chocolate talking.

"Avery, Marinus."

A boy Sirius and I knew well walked forward with his face near the ceiling in his pompous way, but Mother and Father always insisted that he's from one of the 'right' families. We've stayed at his home into long nights as the adults discussed the 'proper' way to deal with 'that nasty Muggle problem'. He was short ("Just because I haven't grown yet"), redhead ("It's more of an auburn, really."), and incredibly bad tempered ("It's not _my_ fault I'm better than you.")

It wasn't a surprise that he was sorted into Slytherin, but when the animated hat exclaimed it without hardly touching his head I couldn't help but tense. Next was some squash nosed girl by the name of Beauchamp that was sorted into Ravenclaw. For some reason, it hadn't really occurred to me that we would be called in alphabetical order. I had expected Sirius to go first, lead me into whatever House we would get into together, the way he lead me into anything. But it would be me first. Now.

"Black, Cassiopeia."

I shook in terror, not being able to will my feet into movement until Remus gently nudged me and Sirius gave me his encouraging smile. James gave me a half smirk as well, the line of first years parting for me to take a seat on that stool. They all looked at me as I passed and I felt like I was walking to my doom. No matter what happened, I was just that. Doomed. If I was in Slytherin, I had no doubt that I would live the life Mother and Father expected of me. I would keep with my studies, make the right pure-blood friends, and marry Rabastan the summer after we graduated- if they didn't pull me out of school to marry early.

But then there was anywhere else, where I would have that semblance of freedom that might turn into more than an illusion or the dream I had now. However, to be sorted somewhere other than Slytherin was turning my back on my family and heritage in our parents eyes- and I would be suitably punished for doing so.

I climbed onto the rickety stool, almost losing my balance, and clenched my eyes tight as the woman placed the Hat on my head. It came to life at once, moving around and feeling very strange. And I heard a voice.

 _"_ _Miss Black, did she say? Black; one of the oldest Slytherin families there is, and yet, your mind tells an entirely different story. Not the smallest amount of Slytherin in you."_ I almost flinched at hearing that, caught between dread and relief. _"Yes,"_ the hat said. _"Very different. My dear girl, truly you have a dizzying intellect. Let us say..._ GRYFFINDOR!"

There were cheers, just as there had been for the first two students sorted, but mine were louder with three boys in the back of the line screaming their applause, whistling, and jumping up and down. I did it. In a daze, my legs somehow managed to carry me to the Gryffindor table where I sat down and someone patted me on the back in congratulations. Sirius didn't even wait for his name to be called, strutting through the line as if he were walking to his throne. The hat wasn't on his head for long before it called out GRYFFINDOR again.

"See?" He said when he sat down across from me. "I told you we could do this."

"One day," I told him. "One day you're going to say that, and we won't."

I glanced over to the Slytherin table where Narcissa was sitting next to Lucius. He was ignoring her, her being at his elbow like a dog. She gave me a disappointed look, and I momentarily wondered what I had done.

"Evans, Lily." A red headed girl went to the stool, as though she were dancing. The hat came alive on her as well, calling out our House. She made eye contact with someone still in the line, a lanky boy with longish black hair and sallow skin.

"He looks like someone hexed him," Sirius said with a snort. The girl, Lily, came over and sat beside me- but Sirius was still looking at the boy she had grinned to after hopping off the stool.

She held her hand out to me, "I'm Lily."

"Sia," I said, shaking her offered hand. Sirius introduced himself to her as well, looking back to Remus and James. They were impatiently waiting for their names to be called, obviously ready to eat and be at our sides again.

"Lestrange, Rabastan."

I had never actually met him, which was odd as my cousin was meant to marry his brother. I had seem him from afar, but never been introduced. I guess I always thought of him as this villain, the way I would anyone else I would be betrothed to. He had brown hair, a hard face, and a walk that he must have studied from his brother and father. Or, any pure-blood family. He was sorted into Slytherin.

Next, Remus was called. He neither strutted to the stool like Sirius, nor dragged himself the way I did. I envied him his cool and calm walk as he walked through the dwindling line of other first years. I especially envied him the way he didn't jump when the hat moved on his head. His wasn't as short as Sirius' sorting was, or as seemingly long like mine.

But his grin wasn't as big as mine when he was sorted to Gryffindor and made his way to sit on my other side. "And you were worried," he said smugly. I didn't comment that _he_ had also been worried. I didn't need to, we just waited. And waited. And waited as with each name, the line of students got smaller. Macmillan, McKinnon, Meadowes, Nott, Parkinson, Pettigrew, Potter.

James' sorting, the hat didn't _even_ touch his head and he hadn't the chance to sit down. He ran over, sitting next to Sirius and nodding to each of us that yes; we made it and we made it together. Then he looked over to Lily, his eyes seeming to get stuck there long enough to make her face nearly match her hair.

"I'm James," he said, extending his hand.

"Lily," she returned putting her hand on his. He kissed it, and her blush deepened as she jerked her hand away in embarrassment. She must not be accustomed to pure-blood etiquette.

Prewitt, two redheaded boys making their way to us, with more faces I recognized as fellow mischief makers. Rosier, a mean faced boy Sirius and I despised from our first meeting at seven. Snape, the lanky boy Lily seemed to be friends with. She cheered for him when he went off to Slytherin. Summers, a blonde girl almost tripping over herself as she went to the Hufflepuff table. And finally, Travers- a boy with dark skin and a pinched face sorted to Ravenclaw.

A man in the center of the High Table stood, holding up a glass as though to salute us. He hesitated, seeming to make eye contact with everyone. His eyes met mine and seemed to sparkle at me, giving a strange sense of warmth and welcome.

"Another year," he said. "Another year and new faces. You will make friends here, you will make memories, you will make plans for your future," he paused again before saying in a quieter voice, "and I hope very deeply, that you all get what you are looking for."

*

The next morning, I received a letter. It came with Father's owl, one for both me and Sirius, but they were written in Mother's handwriting. Some might have expected a Howler, but that was not how things were done. That would have broadcast our business to the school at breakfast, and both Slytherins and pure-bloods preferred to do their family business in private. Sirius and I shared a look before opening them together, James and Remus looking on with apprehensive and sympathetic expressions.

 _Cassiopeia,_

 _I have been informed that the Sorting Hat has put you in Gryffindor. I had hoped you would keep a better grip on your head than to follow your brother again, but once again I must deal with the imbecile that is our only daughter. You're both lucky we don't disown you, and if it weren't for you being the only female born to us and your Uncle Alphard's insistence- we would have. What kind of wife comes from Gryffindor? How are you to keep a husband like Rabastan Lestrange? Our family is the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and we expect you to act as such. I have never been as disappointed in anyone as I am in you right now. You_ _will_ _keep to your studies. You_ _will_ _stay away from your brother and the mudblood Gryffindors and such. You_ _will_ _work harder on your accomplishments that will hopefully make Rabastan overlook your otherwise unfortunate House. I doubt I need to explain to you what will happen if you do not. We will resume your lessons and such this summer and you will obey everything we tell you._

 _Mother._

I was done with my letter before Sirius was done with his and I didn't need to ask what was in it to know it was bad. His face said it all; pale and drawn the way it had been after his punishment with Father for the Diagon Alley incident. He looked at me and we both had a moment of understanding with each other.

"Is it really bad?" Remus asked, James was reading Sirius' letter with his own grim expression. I handed him my letter and he read it with a pitying frown. "I'm sorry."

Sirius shrugged it off, eating a forkful of eggs. I watched him focus on breakfast and tried to follow his example, when someone held out a chocolate frog.

"I find," Remus said, "that even, or especially when I can't eat anything else, chocolate always helps everything."

I smiled, taking the chocolate frog from him. Mother never approved of me eating sweets and therefore I had had little in the way of such things. Remus it seemed, carried several in his pocket at any time, and I was glad for it. I agreed with him when I took my first bite and instead of wanting to spew it back out like anything else I had tried, that I was actually able to swallow it.

Our classes began, leading us to be lost on more than one occasion and us to wander out at night to map out our route to classes the next day. I shared my room with three other girls; Lily Evans, whose bed was next to mine, Marlene McKinnon, who insisted we call her Marley, and Dorcas Meadowes, who told us that if we called her by her name she would hex us- but she never told us what to call her instead. They all seemed nice, but I didn't spend much time with any of them. I was too occupied with James, Remus, and Sirius.

Our first prank of the year came near the end of September, when Sirius had the bright idea to follow through with our discussion on the train and let Gem the niffler loose in the Slytherin common room. It wasn't hard to find the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Sirius and the other two boys had me ask Narcissa, who was so glad at the prospect that I was trying to do my best at being proper despite being placed in Gryffindor and didn't question it. She even gave me the password, which wouldn't have been necessary for Gem to get in.

This was also how we encountered our first obstacle in our exploits, who would continue to be the biggest obstacle throughout our years there; Professor McGonagall. She was our Head of House, the woman who had put the Sorting Hat on our head's, and the one who sent us each our letters. And now, she was staring us down with pursed lips that would rival Mother's on her angriest day.

"You," her voice was dangerously low and calm as the four of us stood in front of her; our heads down so as not to be confrontational, our arms behind our backs, and in all honesty- we were all trying our best to keep a straight face. "You, set a niffler loose in the school."

Sirius, beside me, couldn't help but say, "In all honesty, professor, we only let the niffler loose in the Slytherin common room. We just didn't realize that she would let _herself_ loose on the _school_."

James started cracking up at this point and I, with my shoulders shaking in silent laughter, popped Sirius on the back of his head. He quickly bowed his head again and tried in vain to stop laughing. It didn't help that the other two were barely containing themselves.

"This is no laughing matter," Professor McGonagall said sternly, and even _I_ lost it. I laughed loudly, incidentally setting the boys off as well without any hope of getting themselves back in proper order.

"I'm... so... sorry," I managed to get out through the tears of laughing so hard. I was trying to lean on Remus, who was then leaning on me.

Professor McGonagall watched us, each second making her lips appear thinner until you couldn't see them at all. She slapped her hand on her office desk, making the four of us jump and get back into the submissive and apologetic position we had practiced for if we got caught. We all peeked at each other while our heads were pointed to our feet, still with smirks on our face.

"I see now that you can't be reasonable," she said with a huff. "Very well. Since it was the Slytherins you let that beast on, you will serve a month's detention with their Head of House."

"But, you can't!" James said.

"Don't contradict me!" She demanded. "I think you will find, Mr. Potter, that I can."

It was the start of a beautiful, seven year war in which she would try and fail an innumerable amount of times to stop our pranks.

*

It was the day after the Gem Fiasco that Remus got sick. He woke up looking terrible, and Sirius and James said that he hadn't been sleeping right. His face was pallid and pasty and he did nothing at breakfast and lunch but push his food around his plate. The only thing he seemed able to eat was chocolate, and even that he obviously had to force down.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, Remus just nodded tiredly. James asked the same thing, getting the same response. We were all worried about him.

"Shouldn't you go to the Hospital Wing or something?" I asked.

Remus gave me a half smile. "I'm fine," he said. "I just get sick easily. I'll be fine, don't worry."

It continued for a few more days, his health getting worse to the point we were coming up with ideas on kidnapping him and taking him to the Hospital Wing by force. Then, he went. We apparently convinced him to go. He spent the night there and the next morning he nearly looked good as new- a little tired, but his hunger was back with a vengeance, and that was heartening after the previous week we had watched our friend go through.

*

Our first real enemy, it seemed, came in the form of Severus Snape- the boy who had arrived with Lily Evans. Despite the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Lily and Severus held fast to their friendship. This would have been all well and good, I even supported them wholeheartedly in my mind, but then James got involved.

She had been furious upon learning of our prank with the niffler, confronting us as we sat in the common room plotting our next- which involved a cage, peanut butter, a loose owl, and a really long stick. Her arms were crossed, each step towards us was stomped, and her face was redder than her hair as though she were going to explode. James and Sirius, who were closest to her when she walked in, even scrambled backward away from her with a look of fear on their faces that Professor McGonagall had failed to incur.

"How could you!" She shouted, with a stomp of her foot. "What makes you think you have the right to do something so terrible, so rude, so disrespectful of your peers. So what if they're in Slytherin? That doesn't mean you can treat them like that."

"They're just snakes," James said. "What do you care?"

"Severus lost his favorite pocket watch that I gave him. Others lost things that can't be replaced. Do you even realize how much this bothered them, hurt them with their precious belongings gone that Professor McGonagall _wasn't_ able to get back for them. Not to mention, the members of the _other_ houses that lost things too when that beast ran off." She turned to me. "And you, Sia. How could you go along with all of this? I know it was you that found out where the Slytherin common room was."

"Now, don't go blaming her," James said, standing up in a misguided spot of foolish bravery, no one else saying anything as we watched the two go back and forth. "I see what this is. You're upset that we didn't include you."

If possible, her blush deepened. "You, you, you arrogant toerag!"

Then she stormed off and James watched her go with a strange expression. There was a door slam and he turned back to us with an awed expression. "I'm going to marry her."

He followed her around after that, and by extension, so did we alongside him. It was surprising at first to see how much time she spent with Severus, but then, we were stalking a girl our friend had a crush on so maybe it wasn't so odd. James was always angry when we saw them together, clenching his jaw and stomping- though it depended on where we were in our spying.

Anytime he tried to approach her, whether while she was alone or with Severus, she brushed him off. Until one day, towards the end of October, Severus decided that he would say something to him about it.

"She's already said to leave her alone, Potter."

"What are you going to do, Snivellous?"

And Remus and I both sighed. James and Sirius had been teasingly calling him that in whispers while we spied on Lily. At the insult Severus, who we hadn't seen as a violent boy, launched himself at James and knocked him to the ground- punching him. This seemed to shock James, as it did the three of us. Personally, I had never seen someone be so violent like this. Like some barbaric Muggle brawler. It only took Sirius and James a moment to pull themselves out of it. James began punching back, trying to gain the upper hand and Sirius was trying to pull Severus off of him.

"Sev!" Lily shouted, trying to work with Sirius at pulling him off. "Sev, stop it."

Severus, only after Lily called for him, yanked himself away. James' face was bruised and bloodied, but he seemed to only have succeeded in breaking Severus' nose. Lily gave James a last glare, before leading Severus away.

And we were enemies.

*

The next prank came on Halloween. Remus was sick again, exactly the way he had been before, but that didn't stop him as James insisted we do something to Severus Snape to 'teach him a lesson'. Our stalking Lily turned into Severus and it seemed we stalked him more than we did her nowadays. James said he wanted to do something to Severus, and Sirius came up with a plan- seeming to have jumped on the chance to prank the unsuspecting Slytherin.

"I don't know," Remus said, rubbing the back of his neck as Sirius laid out his idea. "I mean, he hasn't really done anything to us."

I was glad he said something before I had to. I was glad he was also having an issue with this. But Sirius just looked as though Remus was insane. "Hasn't done anything to us?" He repeated. "He practically tried to kill James! We can't let him get away with that! Besides, he's a greasy, Slytherin git. He could do with a cutting down to size."

"Siri, there's _four_ of us. There's only one of him." Sirius refused to listen, glaring at me and continuing with his plan.

The next night was the Halloween feast. Remus had promised to go to Madame Pomfrey's that night after dinner. It happened _during_ dinner, however, that there came a shriek from the Slytherin table as thousands of cockroaches swarmed from the center. I, Sirius, James, and Remus knew they came from Severus' robes. Sirius had found a charm to turn clothing into the disgusting things and practiced on socks and things until he knew he could do it.

Screams ensued as people ran from the Slytherin table, and though it was awful with Severus nearly naked in the middle of it and trying to get away before anyone saw him, I was also guilty of finding the scene rather amusing in spite of the guilt. Sirius and James watched with grins as they laughed. It was hard to see what was going on with the fuss and scrambling about, but Lily looked suspicious at the two having such a thrill.

Remus' head lolled to the side slightly in obvious exhaustion. He shakily stood from the table and I stood with him. "I need to go to the Hospital Wing," he said in almost a slur.

"We'll take you there," Sirius said, he and James rising as well- when a voice seemed to cut through the chaos to find their ears and they both cringed.

"Potter! Black! Don't. You. Move."

They both stood frozen while Remus and I went out into the corridor. He was leaning on me and I was terrified for him, never having seen someone so sick like this. It was worse than last month. We passed Severus on our way to the Hospital Wing.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," Remus said, having me turn him around to the other boy, who was trying to get back to the Slytherin common room as fast as he could. Remus shrugged out of his outer robes and handed them out to Severus. "Here."

Severus jerked away from us, trying to hide his exposed chest. But it wasn't able to hide scars I caught. Remus motioned with the robes again and almost lost his balance. I caught him, strangely at the same time that Severus moved forward to help. And I saw more scars on his chest and arms, and back when he moved. When he realized what he did, Severus moved away with a glare.

"Can you not stay on your own feet, Lupin?"

I glared at Severus, but Remus chuckled weakly. "Doesn't look like it." Then he handed his robes to the hesitant Severus. "Please, take them. I'm sorry about that back there."

Severus didn't say anything and I helped Remus to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey, who hadn't been at dinner, bumbled over to us immediately. "Mr. Lupin, come sit down." She glanced over to me as Remus laid back. "Thank you, Miss Black. You may go on to your dormitory now, I fear Mr. Lupin will have to spend the night."

"But-" She was already ushering me out the door. "Can't I stay until curfew-"

"He needs his rest now," she said. "Go. Go."

I gave a last glance to Remus, who seemed to be mentally preparing himself for something, and left with the insistent prompting of her pushy hands.

 **A/N: I could not stop laughing when I wrote the part with the niffler, though I fully admit I got the idea from Tumblr. I have a few other ideas for pranks they will pull, but they will NOT be the huge bullies they are in canon because that is just what they are. There is no mincing words about it, even Remus. But that will not fly in mine. They will be at first, but they quickly learn better and grow up. Let me know what you think. Still thinking about a Sirius and Severus romance for this. Let me know what you think of** ** _that_** **in the comment section down below.**

 **Do you like Remus? Sia? James? I know we ALL like Sirius, because... how can you not? But I feel much the same about Remus. No one ever likes James. I definitely don't like Lily. Who is your favorite character and why?**

 **Dasvidanya, Mia.**


	3. Clowders and Christmas

Chapter three: Clowders and Christmas

The chilly winds of October faded into the next month, and the morning of November 3rd brought the first hint of frost across the castle grounds. I had woken up later than usual, Delia licking my face dutifully to call attention to the piece of chocolate someone had tied to her neck with a ribbon. It was one of those brands I hadn't recognized from Remus' trunk. Muggle, I suspected. I retrieved it and popped it into my mouth. Muggle or not, it was even better than Chocolate Frogs. I laid there, not willing to get up yet, before going over to look out the window.

The crisp morning sun, muted through the Black Lake's fog, shone upon the ground and reflected back like crystals- despite it still not being a proper first frost of the year. The last remnants of the rich chocolate dissolved in my mouth and I rushed out of the room, being the last one of my dorm mates awake on this Saturday.

That was the day we found our first secret passage way, behind a mirror on the fourth floor, near our Charms class. We'd been shoving each playfully, taking the free day to explore the castle with no real reason. James pushed me after I had him, a bit too hard and I lost my footing.

But Remus grabbed my arm, making him fall with me into a mirror. We toppled to the stone flooring, which was not as soft as it should be in a school of clumsy children. The mirror moved aside and I imagined it falling on us and shattering. But it didn't. It just swung back and forth. I sat up, leaning back on my elbows to look at it strangely. Remus stood first, holding his hand out to me.

Behind the mirror was a shimmering. It looked odd, like shining dust that covered a portion of the wall. Sirius and James moved over too, James patting my arm with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" I nodded, looking over to the odd sort of shimmering. James moved the mirror aside to reveal a hole behind it big enough for someone to get through. Then he looked back with a grin, and we all followed him with a sigh to the seventh floor. The passageway was a decent length, and we came out across from a blank wall. How did a secret passage on the fourth floor, take us to the seventh?

"Because that makes sense," Remus muttered under his breath as James and Sirius both said, "Wicked!"

Remus and I stood by as our friends went back and forth through the tunnel several times, each time even more excited than the first. I only went through once. I did not skip through it with a wild grin as I followed my brother and our friend. I was very dignified. As a lady should be.

Once we- _they_ \- were done with the tunnel, we continued on the seventh floor, walking around it as we had yet to come to this floor. It was mostly abandoned rooms, which made sense considering how large the castle was. There couldn't possibly be enough students to actually warrant such a big building. There were old classrooms covered in seven inch thick layers of dust, rooms piled with junk and things for storage, a group of cats- Delia included- that sat in a circle. They all looked back at us when we opened the door in mild annoyance as though we had interrupted some important meeting about the overtake of the world. Sirius, who was the one that had opened the door, merely closed it slowly and looked back at the three of us with wide eyes.

"Clowder," Remus said in disturbance. "A group of cats is called a clowder."

"Noted," James and I said at the same time.

The floor wasn't much different than any of the others, except for the rather strange tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy we came out through, and the very rude portrait of some old man who cursed at us, telling us to leave and that we weren't allowed to pass. It didn't help that Sirius tried to shoot a hex at him, for it to be rebounded and hit James- who collapsed in a fit of giggles not very expectant of a boy. Remus, who was laughing just as hard in a much more dignified manner, canceled it for him and James glared at Sirius.

"Really? A Tickling Charm?"

Sirius looked apologetic. "It was the first thing that came to mind."

James brushed his robes off, and lead us away from the chuckling portrait in a slight huff.

* * *

For our birthday, Sirius wanted to do something big.

In all honesty, this is probably what lead to ninety percent of all our detentions- James or Sirius wanting to do something big. The niffler loose on the Slytherins was big, until the idea for Severus' robes. Then that was big, until Sirius decided to set off explosives in the Great Hall during supper. Or, as Remus pointed out, fireworks. Apparently they bought them off a half-blood fifth year in Hufflepuff by the name of Diggory- who was a prefect too! He shouldn't have encouraged them!

I couldn't say much though, as I stood under James' cloak with him, Sirius, and Remus- our wands pointed to the things that were already in place. It was hard not be excited for something so delinquent with James' glasses slipping down his nose because of how wide his grin was. Or the light in my brother's blue gray eyes as we waited for the best moment. Or Remus, who stood next to me behind them, shaking his head with an equally excited smirk. As Dumbledore sat down in his chair, the Great Hall erupted in bright flashes of light- silvery blue and blood red that were Sirius' and I's favorite colors. Loud noise sounded around the room, making people scream and duck as the lights and sparks chased the students around the hall.

Somewhere in it, James slipped the cloak off us so it wasn't taken- and stuffed it into his pocket. No spark or form of firework came near us, overturning tables and terrorizing Slytherins. You could tell when a student had been caught, as their hair turned Gryffindor red. Even some of the teachers were targeted... until Dumbledore stood up, and everything stopped. There was something both heartbreaking and mesmerizing- watching him fix everything we had worked so hard to do, so easily. It was both, a horror to see, and like art to watch as with one wave of his hand he set the Great Hall to rights again.

Professor McGonagall's beady eyes immediately found ours and narrowed, her face becoming stormy and red as though her head was about to explode. She made her way over to us, her velvet robes swishing behind her. Her long hair had somehow come loose from it's tight bun, and was streaming behind her as she nearly stomped her way to us. It would have made a terrifying sight, had her long, streaming hair not also been steaming red.

Sirius was first, a short chuckle escaping his mouth before he clamped it shut. James was next, sharing a look with the rest of us as he tried to contain himself. Then it was Remus, letting out a laugh at the singes near the end of the professor's hair. Her face just became more red as she grabbed Sirius and James by their ears and pulled them behind her, sending us a look that said she would do the same to us if we didn't follow. So we did, to a gargoyle statue that swiftly moved aside as McGonagall barked out, "Ice Mice." That made James laugh more.

Dumbledore, was somehow, standing in the room near a fireplace. He turned to face us with twinkling blue eyes and the movement of his long white beard. "Ah, Minerva. Are these the culprits then?"

She harshly moved James and Sirius around to plop down in two chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk. We hadn't been in his office before. When she let go of them they both rubbed their ears, watching the man carefully to see what our punishment would be. "Explain yourselves," she spat.

James and Sirius started laughing again, and I was afraid if I talked for them that the same fate would happen to me. I was barely controlling myself as it was. So it fell to Remus who, after his short bout in the Great Hall, was keeping a remarkably straight face under the circumstances.

"You see, sir," he started, looking as though he was quite scared of Dumbledore. "It's Sia and Sirius' birthday today."

"Is it?" Professor Dumbledore asked, his eyes still twinkling as they roved over me.

Remus nodded, looking to me as well for a nod of encouragement. I gave it and he looked back to the headmaster with a straighter back than before. "Yes, sir. It is. Twelve, and it isn't every day you turn twelve, sir."

Dumbledore looked as though he might smile. "No," he consented. "I suppose it is not."

Taking this as even more encouragement, Remus spoke more smoothly. "And so, we thought we would do something to celebrate such an event. We found those things, just laying around."

"Really?" The man asked, looking more amused by the second. I don't think he believed Remus' story. Remus didn't either as he began to falter and I took over.

"Yes, sir. We didn't realize what a commotion they'd cause. We just thought a small display might be nice, you see, so we set them off without really thinking. We're awfully sorry to have caused such a panic."

James and Sirius had stopped laughing, looking back at the two of us in slight awe at how quick the story was formed. Professor McGonagall, looked even more like she might combust- as though steam might pour from her ears because she was so angry she couldn't contain it. She looked to the headmaster.

"Albus," she scolded. "You can't really believe this story of theirs."

"Why, of course I do, Minerva. They seem like good children to me. I trust Miss Black and Mister Lupin not to fib. Honest mistakes happen."

Her eyes widened. "Honest? You can't really-"

Dumbledore cut her off with a grandfatherly smile. "Now, Minerva. Such allowances must be made. You children may head off to your dorms. I trust you not to... wander?"

The four of us echoed that of course we wouldn't, and headed towards the exit with our faces facing the floor so not to start laughing again. Then we heard, "Minerva, have you done something to your hair?"

Luckily, the statue was already closing and with it- cut off our squeals of laughter.

The next morning, we thought it wouldn't be brought up again. Sure, Lily Evans was likely to have something to say about it but at least she'd talk to James. That would make him happy. We definitely didn't expect a display of magic over the Gryffindor table to say 'Happy Birthday, Sia and Sirius', in silvery blue and blood red. He even used Sia and not Cassiopeia. Before breakfast appeared, after we were sat under our names with awed grins on our faces, Dumbledore stood up for a toast.

"I realize that I interrupted a sort of celebration last night for Sirius and Sia Black's twelfth birthday. It isn't every day one turns twelve."

* * *

Since our letters after being sorted into Gryffindor, neither I nor Sirius had received a single letter from either of our parents. Regulus had sent one or two in secret, addressed to Cissa to give to us. But that was all we had since the first at the beginning of the semester. By time we were expected to sign up whether we were staying for the holiday or not, it was glaringly obvious our parents did not want us there. We wouldn't be alone at least. Remus told us that he'd gotten permission to stay as well, and Sirius had the idea for a prank on the Yule. But James' parent's were insisting that he come home for the holiday and we couldn't just prank without him. It wouldn't be right.

Three days before the student's going home boarded the train, James came into the Common Room with the biggest smile we'd ever seen on his face. In his hand was a somewhat crumpled letter that he waved around as he ran towards us.

"They said yes!" He exclaimed. "I asked, and they said yes! You guys are coming home with me for Christmas!"

Lily glared from her spot on the couch reading. "Could you be louder, Potter? I'm sure your niffler didn't quite catch that."

James smirked and opened his mouth with a deep intake of air. "THEY SAID YES!"

She pursed her lips and stood, turning to storm off to our room. He watched her go with a smile and then turned to us. In front of Sirius was a roughly drawn layout of the part of the castle we'd explored and we were trying to pinpoint exactly where the kitchens were and the Hufflepuff common room.

"What are you talking about," Remus asked.

"Well, I asked my parents if the three of you could stay for Christmas at my house. They said yes. Mum even said something about skipping Sunday supper with Gran. I _hate_ Sunday supper with Gran. Please come."

I wanted to say yes right out, as apparently did Sirius because that's what he did. "But, Siri, Mother and Father would never allow it. You know that."

"We don't have to tell them," he said back. "Cissa's going home too, so she won't notice we're not here. We just have to avoid her on the train. Remus' parents might let him. All we have to worry about is McGonagall and our names on her list to stay."

So James wrote back to his parents to expect us, Remus wrote his about staying at James', and Sirius and I snuck into Professor McGonagall's office after curfew to erase our names from her list with a spell from one of Remus' books.

When we boarded the train, it was James' thought that maybe we should try to get in the baggage cart again, but after being reminded of getting locked in he agreed that it was probably for the best we didn't. So we found a compartment, the same one from before, and stayed there. Narcissa was holed up with Lucius and _his_ friends towards the front of the train, and it was unlikely we'd run in to either of them. Bellatrix was in her sixth year, sitting with other sixth year Slytherins towards the back. So long as we waited for them all to leave before going, we would be safe.

Just in case, though, the blinds on our compartment were drawn and James' Cloak was out to cover us should anyone knock. The ride wasn't as eventful as the first had been. We stayed in the compartment the entire time, either reading like Remus and I, playing Exploding Snap like James and Sirius, or helping Remus eat mounds of chocolate. I noticed he seemed to do that after getting sick the way he had been once a month or so. The way he had just before our holiday. It was odd, that he didn't seem to be surprised when he _did_ get sick like clockwork.

He only seem resigned to it.

We waited a while for most of the other students to leave before creeping out of the compartment carefully. I'm sure it was probably amusing to watch, James in the front to look around corners, Remus in the back to be sure no one was behind us to rat us out, Sirius and I in the middle growing increasingly bored with the slow pace the four of us were keeping to be cautious. There were still loads of parents on the platform when we stepped onto it, but our Aunt Druella and Uncle Cygnus weren't there thankfully. Nor was Lucius or either of the Lestrange's. I still had yet to ever speak to Rabastan, but he had once or twice locked eyes with me. Neither of us said anything. And I pretended it didn't happen.

James' parents were near where we saw them last time, Lord Potter with the same smile he had had the day we met him, his arm around the woman we saw before with long, light brown hair and delicate features that had to have been Lady Potter. We approached, and she smiled warmly at us in a way I thought might have broken Mother's face to attempt. It made Lady Potter look even more beautiful, even more than Bellatrix and everyone always commented on _her_.

"You must be Sia," she said when she saw me looking at her. Then to the others, knowing their names based on nothing more than letters and her husband's story from Diagon Alley. "It's wonderful to meet you. My son has written of nothing else."

"Ah," Lord Potter said. "That isn't entirely true. There was someone named Lily Evans in there if you squinted."

I expected James to get red-faced and bluster in embarrassment, but he just nodded very casually. "Yes. I'm going to marry her."

Lady Potter exchanged a small, knowing smile with Lord Potter and the six of us started walking. "Well," he said. "We really must be going then. I do believe Mitzy was just taking a double batch of honey biscuits out of the oven when we left."

James' face brightened and he turned to us. "Mitzy makes the best biscuits," he told us, just before jumping into one of the station's fireplaces and departing in a fantastic swirl of green flame.

Each of us were lead to a separate guest room upon arrival, mine on the opposite side of the boys for obvious reasons, but that night the four of us met in James' library and set up a camp of sorts there. We, with the help of Mitzy who was a far cry from the miserable thing Kreacher was, took blankets and pillows and built a large fort out of them. And that was how we were found the next morning, the four of us asleep together on our separate pillows under a somewhat cramped fort- with an odd assortment of bruises because apparently I kick in my sleep.

"You don't kick, Sia," James groaned. "You attack wholeheartedly. You literally kept poking me in the eyes!"

I vaguely remembered that, but really I was just laying my hand above my head where his pillow (and eyes) happened to be. Honest mistake in the blurry hum of sleep to make.

Our first day, was a recount of our pranks to the Lord and Lady Potter- the former who was interjecting with advice and such on where we went wrong or how it could have gone better, and the latter appearing to be trying very hard not to be amused and failing horribly. We went to bed, in our library fort, with dozens more ideas for jokes.

Our second day, was Remus and I exploring the library much to James and Sirius' discontent until it was pointed out that they could be doing research for our future mischief.

The third day was much the same, but the _fourth_ day, was Christmas. The night before, we had stayed up late in our library fort telling ghost tales about people who died on Christmas- Remus was the best at those. But we woke up early to run down the marble stairs to the drawing room where there was a pile of presents. We all decided to exchange ours to each other last, after James' parents were asleep, just to keep it private- but we each still got things from our parents. Even Sirius and I, though they weren't what one might expect.

We each received a long thin box in perfectly folded wrapping paper with the family crest on it. The boxes were a deep purple, our names embossed in silver. I could tell he was hoping it wasn't what we thought it was. But when I opened my own box, slowly, and I saw the glittering of the teasing, sharp blade, I knew. It was beautiful. The long dagger was one of a kind, made only for me as they all were; with the cold gem of a diamond encrusted into the short cross guard, and the constellation I shared a name with etched into the bottom of the blade. The diamond, I knew, would turn red once used for its purpose, and that made me shiver.

Sirius' was different, but with the same diamond. Remus looked confused, as did James. But Lord and Lady Potter looked pitying. Old pure-blood families often had tapestry rooms where, around the age of eleven as seen fit for each set of parents, a child would receive an ancestral dagger. With which, the child would make a small cut in the palm of their hand to hold the blood on the tapestry- waiting for their face to form on it beneath the rest of their family's. A lot of families had stopped doing, the Light families all claiming the wrongness of blood magic. But ours hadn't.

That night, we couldn't stop staring at them, holding them in our hands and being rather despondent until James pointed out quietly that the four of us hadn't exchanged our gifts. The rest of the holiday was rather uneventful. I'd gotten my brother some enchanted parchment he'd wanted, though I had no clue what for. For Remus, I gave some of the more expensive chocolate and a book I had enjoyed called Jane Eyre, nevermind that it was Muggle. He wouldn't care. James was more difficult, but not at the same time as I gave him his very own wand holster from dragon hide. He didn't have one and had been wanting one.

Going back to Hogwarts on the train was easier than coming. We were drunk on our excitement from the holiday and either we didn't think about the possibility of getting caught, or just didn't care. I'm still not sure which apply, but we weren't found out and when we returned to the giant castle- it felt good to be coming home.

 **A/N: I know no one really seems to like or care about this one. But it's my favorite story of mine so far. I love it, and I have huge plans for it in the future. I will be continuing this one, as Sia is possibly my favorite character I've made with possibly the exception of Rose or Ithaca. They're tied. I thought to myself, you're writing a story with Sirius' daughter, why not a sister? And so Black Is The Color was born. Hope you like it. Next chapter is end of school and summer.**

 **Dasidanya, Mia.**


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